The warning behind the buzz

New Mexico’s monsoon season brings wetter and, thankfully, cooler days and fills our reservoirs. But it also brings the potential for floods, which in turn allows the most dangerous creature in the world — the mosquito — to thrive.

Mosquitoes cause millions of deaths globally every year by spreading diseases. In New Mexico, mosquitoes carry West Nile virus. In other parts of the world, such mosquito-borne diseases as malaria, chikungunya, Zika virus and others wreak havoc on communities. Knowing where an increased population will arise could help prevent the spread of these diseases by providing public health departments with advance warning to respond to and prepare for potential outbreaks.

Read more of Carrie Manore’s article here.